Someone asked why, if it was so hard for commoners to get by in this city, would anyone come to this godforsaken place? Of course, it was because working in the Spirit Mine for one year could earn you what ten years' worth of labor would outside, and the commoners might bow and scrape in front of the Great cultivators, but once home, they were newly minted rich folks. In one year they could buy a house, in two years acquire lands, and in three, they could even take several concubines, leading a life of luxury and pleasure!
When Gu Shi Yi disembarked, she had already been briefed once. Being an outsider with no connections, she had to be extra careful. Therefore, she didn't head for the main street but sought out the smaller alleys instead. After wandering for most of the day, she finally found a small shop with the words "Spirit Beast Studio" on its signboard, and she stepped inside.
The shop wasn't large; to the left was just a wooden counter behind which an old man with squinted eyes was dozing off. Several cages were hanging from the beams of the shop, dangling just above people's heads, and upon looking up, one could see several brightly colored, unidentifiable birds. One of the birds spat a mouthful of black smoke at Gu Shi Yi as she came in. Around the four walls of the shop, cages were placed in a circle, each containing small beasts either sleeping or pacing back and forth. On the walls hung pelts, claws, beast heads, and the like.
Besides the items on the walls, the place resembled a pet shop.
As Gu Shi Yi was looking around, the old man didn't even open his eyes but asked,
"Mortal, what brings you here?"
Gu Shi Yi turned towards him, and seeing that his eyes were still closed, she pondered before responding,
"Old sir, I've come upon something and wished to inquire..."
The old man still didn't open his eyes,
"Is it the object hanging around your neck?"
Gu Shi Yi knew these Great cultivators all had Divine Sense, akin to X-rays; they could see without being told, so she nodded and took out the finger she had brought with her. Today, she had only brought the finger and left Li Yaner behind, fearful of it being recognized.
Only then did the old man slowly open his eyes and took a look at the object in Gu Shi Yi's hand,
"This is a Fish Kui Beast's belly limb... hmm... a mature one, the second finger from its sixteen pairs of belly hands... the middle one..."
The old man glanced at Gu Shi Yi and said,
"Such an item shouldn't have come into your hands!"
Gu Shi Yi honestly admitted,
"Someone cut it off, and I just happened to pick it up!"
The old man chuckled,
"Hmph! You're quite fortunate... But this thing is heavy with Yin Energy. For someone with your constitution, it's not too bad, but for someone weaker, carrying it for three months would bring on a serious illness..."
After pausing, he then asked Gu Shi Yi,
"Are you selling it?"
Gu Shi Yi shook her head,
"I don't know what it is. I only came to ask about its uses."
The old man pondered for a moment and then said,
"I can tell you, but by the rules of my shop, I can't say for free..."
He assessed her with his gaze,
"From the look of you, I'm guessing you don't have any Spirit Stones or the like, right?"
Gu Shi Yi let out a bitter laugh,
"Your elder's insight is keen. I don't even have a few copper coins to speak of, let alone Spirit Stones..."
She was indeed Poor and Devoid of Everything, otherwise why would she have resorted to scrounging for food and drink on the boat?
The old man huffed after listening and then said,
"Fine, fine. I've been too lazy these last few days. Clean up my shop, and we'll call it even!"
Gu Shi Yi was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, hurriedly following the old man's directions. She swept the shop's floor clean, changed the water for the various small beasts in the cages, and even replaced the food for the birds overhead. Only then did the old man say, satisfied,
"Well done. Since that's the case, I'll tell you!"
He placed the finger in the palm of his left hand and pointed at it with his right, and immediately, a stream of black air emerged,
"This is Yin Energy. Fish Kui Beasts originally did not exist above ground. It was only after the Immortals cracked open a fissure during a great battle, connecting the underground rivers with the surface, letting all the Five-Colored Yin Water from beneath seep out. Hence, the water of the Five-Color River is not for mortals to drink..."
He paused again before continuing,
"Fish Kui Beasts thrive in such Yin Water, naturally making them extremely Yin entities. Unlike you mortals, we Great cultivators view these Exotic Beasts differently. Terrifying for you, they are merely small fish in the river to us—good for eating, useful in Alchemy, or even for raising a few as ornaments in our abodes. Of course... cultivators who practice Extremely Yang Techniques don't like beasts with such heavy Yin Energy. But those who practice Extremely Yin Techniques feel otherwise. As for this finger of yours, it's only this small, so if you were to sell it, it would at most be worth one Low-grade Spirit Stone..."